May 21, 2010
Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Marist baseball team clinched the second seed in next week's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships with a 13-8 win at Fairfield in the final game of the regular season on Friday. The Red Foxes completed a three-game sweep of the Stags to end the regular season at 33-20 overall and 16-8 in the MAAC.
Red-shirt junior catcher Bryce Nugent (Binghamton, N.Y.) went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, two runs scored and his fourth home run of the season. Junior center fielder Jon Schwind (Hilton, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored and his fourth homer of the year. Schwind and Nugent hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning.
Red-shirt sophomore left-hander Chad Gallagher (Southboro, Mass.) earned the win to improve to 6-2. Gallagher went the first six innings, giving up six hits, three runs and just one walk while striking out four. He is now tied for the team lead with six wins, and the Red Foxes won all eight of his starts in conference play.
Marist got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first. Freshman first baseman Mike Orefice (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) drew a one-out walk, and scored on a two-out double down the left-field line by Schwind.
The Red Foxes then erupted for six runs in the third, a rally which started after the first two hitters of the inning were retired. Orefice started that rally as well, this time with a single. Junior left fielder Ricky Pacione (Newburgh, N.Y.) then singled to move Orefice up to second. Schwind was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nugent followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0 Marist. An infield single by junior right fielder Michael Gallic (Tolland, Conn.) scored Schwind to give the Red Foxes a 4-0 lead. Freshman designated hitter John Prano (Oviedo, Fla.) closed out the scoring in the third, as the Red Foxes build a 7-0 advantage.
A solo home run by Fairfield second baseman Tucker Nathans in the fourth cut Marist's lead to 7-1. However, Marist broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. Pacione drew a one-out walk, and Schwind's homer made it 9-1. Nugent's subsequent homer gave Marist a 10-1 lead. Prano added an RBI single, and a run on an infield error made the score 12-1 after five-and-a-half.
Fairfield scored twice in the sixth, and Marist closed out its scoring in the eighth when Pacione's sacrifice fly drove in Prano to make it 13-3. The Stags scored five times in the ninth to make the final score 13-8.
Marist outhit Fairfield 16-13, and finished with 50 hits and 10 home runs in the three-game sweep. Prano finished 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Fairfield designated hitter Carmine DeVito led the Stags' attack by going 2-for-5 with five RBIs.
The Red foxes conclude the regular season at 33-20 overall and 16-9 in the MAAC; Fairfield's season ends at 18-32 overall and 8-16 in the MAAC.
Marist will open the MAAC Baseball Championships on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. The Red Foxes' opponent is still to be determined. On Friday, Manhattan and Rider joined Marist and top-seeded Canisius in the tournament field. Rider faces Iona in the final game of the MAAC regular season on Saturday. A Rider win would give the Broncs the third seed, while an Iona win would give Manhattan the third seed.
